Combination outer and under garment



May 27, 1958 A. T. SCRUGGS COMBINATION OUTER AND UNDER GARMENT 2Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. Amza I Scruggs M (2 I 14 gs XML:

Filed Oct. 12, 1954 May 27, 1958 A. 'r. SCRUGGS COMBINATION OUTER ANDUNDER GARMENT Filed 001:. 12, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 a r r a v I r rrINVENTOR.

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United States Patent COMBINATION OUTER AND UNDER GARMENT Anna T.Scruggs, Enid, Okla, assignor to Karolls, Inc., Chicago, 11]., acorporation of Illinois Application October 12, 1954, Serial No. 461,739

1 Claim. (Cl. 2-71) This invention relates to female wearing apparel andhas more particular reference to a combination outer and under garmentfor females, which is especially useful for mentally defective ormentally ill females.

An object of the invention is the provision of a novel and an improvedcombination outer and under garment comprising a unitary dress andpantyand adapted substantially completely to clothe a wearer.

Mentally defective people'are classified asmild, moderate, or severecorresponding substantially to intelligence quotients of about 70 to 85,about 50 to 70, or below 50, respectively. The last mentioned classincludes mental defectives requiring custodial or complete protectivecare. Many of them are so severely disturbed that they are from time 'totime afilicted with or seized by exhibitionist or destructive impulsesor both.. It is difiicult and expensive to keep clothes on'suchindividuals.

When such a mentally defective or retarded female is atllicted with orseized by such impulses, she will sometimes grasp her skirt in her handsat about their normal depending level and swing them and the graspedportions of the skirt forwardly and upwardly to a level over her head.In that manner, she may either remove her dress or, by moving herupraised hands grasping the skirt laterally in opposite directions, ripor tear the skirt, 'or open .itsfastening means. At other times, shewill grasp 'the bodice or waist of her dress in, and at opposite sidesof the neck opening and pull the bodice apart. She thus indecentlyexposes her body and often mutilates her dress beyond repair. J

Another object of the invention is the provision of a novel combinationdress and panty which is so constrocted as to restrain such a mentallydefective female wearing the same from so'exposing hereself and somutilating the garment.

Further objects of the invention include the provision of such acombination dress and panty which is so constructed as to be readilydonned and dotted, as to obviate underwear as separate pieces, as tofacilitate natural excretory acts without necessitating doffing thegarment,

invention and having portions removed to bring out'certain structuraldetails;

V Fig. ;2 is a fragmentary, perspective view of the various parts of thegarment of Fig; 1 shown separately;

Fig. 3 is afragmentary cross-section taken substantially along the lines3-3 of Fig. 1 and shows the seam structure securing the collar to thewaist or bodice sec- Fig. 8 is a fragmentary cross-section of the novelgar ment, taken substantially along the lines 8-8 of Fig. 1 and showingthe construction at the waistline of the garment; and 7 Fig. 9 shows thenovel garment on a wearer and illustrates the restraining functionof thecrotch strap and waistline construction against raising the'skirt overthe head of the wearer.

Illustrative of the invention, the accompanying drawing shows acombination outer and under garment com-v prising a dress A and a pantyB disposed within the skirt section of the dress. The garment ispreferably made of a printed twill by stitching its components together.

' The dress A as illustrated includesa bodice or waist section 11 havingarm openings 12 and 13, and a neck opening 14 large enough to receivetherethrough the head of a'wea'rer. That bodice section is adapted'toextend downwardly from the shoulders to the waistline of the garment andis-rnade by stitching a front portion 15 and a back portion 16 togetherwith shoulder seams 17 and side seams 18. The materialabout the armopenings 12 and 13 is hemmed as shown at 19 and 21, respectively. Seams17 and 18 are preferably of the type known as double,'closed seams. Theyare made by folding back a marginal portion of each of the two pieces ofmaterial to be joined together so that the folded-back portion liesadjacent the main body: of the materiahlapping the folded margins'withthe folded-back portions adjacent each other between the pieces ofmaterial and preferably, as shown in Fig. 5,'in interlockingrelationship, and stitching through the lapped margins along the spacedfolded edges thereof. 'Thusthe edge of neither piece of material isexposed or readily accessible and cannot be grasped'in an effort toopenthe seam. The seams employed in the hems 19 and21 are of the single,closed type. They are made, as shown inFig. 6, by folding the margin ofthe turned under portion of the material to dispose-it between thatportion and the main portion of the material and sewingthrough the threeplys' of the material so arranged. In that 'mannenthe edge of thematerial in neither of the hems 19 and 21 is accessible to facilitateopening the seam or tearing the material.

About the neck opening 14 is secured a collar 22 which is preferably ofring-like or circular configuration. As illustrated in Fig. 2, thatcollar is made from two substantially identical, semi-circular strips 23and 24 joined by stitched seams 25 (Figs. 2 and 4-) 'at opposite sidesofa central open'iug 26 of substantially the same size as the neck opening14. Thecollar is arranged, as shown in Fig. 1, onthe bodice section 11with the openings .14

and 26 in registration or coaxial relationship and with the seams 25 ofthe collar in registration with the shoul der seams 17, respectively.Infthat positionpwith the peripheralmargins of the materialsabout theopenings 14 and 26 folded to lie adjacent each other between the bodicesection and collar, as shown in Fig. T3, the collar is stitched-as .at27,.preferab1y.with'a double seam; to'the bodice section about andadiacentth'e registerediopenings fclosed seams to render the edges ofthe matenals sibliet- Wh n zz hecollar 1 ;i SQ 1 IQ Q h hqd es tion, ;four plysof .the material aboutthe' neelcfopening are, as shown in ;Fig.3 ,-pro vided to strengthenhe; garbelow and'parallel thereto; r

they-bodicesection preferablyby a do uble. 'stit ched seam 28.. Ifdesired, the outer periphery of the collar isprovided with a'usualdecorative edging 29.

Ih co fle thusgsecured d-rt e odi e 1 1.0. b

ment against ripping and tearing; fand the clos'ed searn zfi providesadequate resistance againstjtearing the collar from the bodice section.

' Where .the novelgarinentis siere or a similar undergarment, it is;s0constructed as o C operate wi h.as -.seet on-.3 o provide a loos yfitting dress hanging in substantially; str aight lines'from V theshoulders of a wearer. ;Such a garmentis sometimes called ;a sack typedress and usually isworn with a belt a p e 9. atherthed e s n t he,waist 7 of the wearer., The illustrated dress" is of. the sack typeandthe skirt .a suitable hem secured in place, as shown in Fig.7,by .a

W =4 the panty. See Fig. 8@ In such relative positions, the bodice andskirt sections 11 and .31 and the panty B are stitched together along aseam 55 extending entirely around'the novel combination garment at thewaistline thereof, with'their lapped margins at the outside of thegarment. An elastic belt 56 is arranged'about the waist.

line of the garment and :isfe'nclosed between it and a cloth strap57,:also encircling the garment at the waistto be used -withiout abras-V the novel garment at the waistline for snugly fitting the waistofawearer and is yieldable to enable'removalzof the'garment by pullingit upwardly over her :head after.

unfastening the fastening means .54. The belt thusco operates with thecrotch strap to restrainorresist pulling single, closed seam" s7 a ifdesired; a seam :37: :there- V The panty B comprisesg aslshown in Fig.en-

. veloping portion 38 and a-crotch strap .39 for joining from front torear the lowerendofrthe hip enveloping portion to provide leg or thighopenings 41. 'As illustrated in Fig. 2; the pantytiswpreferablyconstructed of a'p air'of front 7 panels42,.each'proyided atcitslower,inner side with a e pendin'gtab 43, and a pair of'rear panels 441B3hprovided at its;lower,' inner sidc Wit n depending tab .7 The frontpanels" 4Z;-are; joined-together at the front longitudinal center hezp't y byia double, C QSdj I am46 extendin I I fro'mjthef upperendgoi;th'e'pantythroughout the lengththereof and thelength'ofi'the' tabs '43whereby the J'Qijlled tabs 43'f9rmf ontst anp rtion 4 r,

The rear -pan'els '44. are likewise oined 'together by a double, closedseam 48 'whereby'the' joined rear tabs, '45

form a rear strap portion-49.1 Those joined pair's-of, trout and ie pehs n 4 r j ined o e ons opposite sides ofthe panty :by douhle,tclosedfseams 51.

The materialabout' each leg lopening 41 and alon 'posite sides of eachor; the strap portions 471 and 49 is' provided with a hern fheld inplace bya single, closed seam 52. After providing a hern transversely ofthe outer end of each strap portion 47 and v49 ,th e hem being held inplace by a single,.-closed seam 53, the

hemmedends of those strap portions'are provided with complementalsnapfastenersor-other suitable fastening V a1, andpanty'B areaboutithe,samesize;

i With the panty-B insidejof'theskirtIsection {theiruppermargin.adjacenteach other, the lower margin 7 101? the bodice:section 11 is ffolded ou tvvardly and a aboutanupwardly-adjacent-portionof the bodice section and is arranged''inwardly'adjacent'the par' a rgimr panty being continued around 'themarginaledg 1 single, closed type.

line thereofi The cloth strap 57' is joined along "its upper margin tothe bodice section 11 bypanzencireling :seam 58 of stitches above thesearn'SS andto the'skirt section 31 and panty B by an encircling seam 59of stitches below the'seam 55.- The seams '58 and 59 are of the Thus thewaistlinejstrap '57 not only conceals the elastic belt 56 and the seam55, but also renders them inaccessible.

"The elastic belt 56. has its ends sewed or otherwise secured togetherand is pr such lengththat.it'gathers the garment upwardly beyond thewaist of a wearer (see the skirt section enough to obtain a sufficientleverage to tear the garment by moving her. upraised'hands grasp ingtheskirt section outwardly, in opposite direction.

It is thought that :the invention and its attendant advan tages willbeunderstood from the foregoing description,

, and it will be apparent that various changes may bemade in the form,construction and .arrangement o'tfthe' parts without departing from thespirit and scope of the inven tion or sacrificing-all of its material.advantages, the form merelya preferred embodiment thereof. 9 1

I cla irnz 1 9 I. A combination out'erand under garment forfehlal's,

hereinbefore described and illustrated in the drawing-being 7'comprising aJbodice section, a skirt-section', ;a g a-ntyin side of saidskirt section, :the lower margin ofsaidbodi'ee section and the uppermargins of said skirt'section-laiid V panty being sewed togetherentirelyaround the waistline 1 of the garment, the bodice section havinga'neckaopeng; and arm'openin'gs, the bottom. margins of -the ..-sln'rt"tion and panty, and the surrounding margins-on v I opening and armopenings being constituted by closedseams, and the bodice section, skirtsection and anty, except for the. arm openings, being continuous andun-. brokenrcornpletely around the garment, said panty including, a hipenveloping portion, a rear Sherpa-portion inte-f gral with and extendingfrom the lower end' offthe hip 1 enveloping portion at the rear of thelpanty,'a-;f;ront strap portion integral with and extending fromthe'low'er end of the hip enveloping portion'at'the frontofthe panty,andrneans respectively on the rear andfront strap portions forreleasably fastening the portions togetheriat I one location to providea'crotch strap betweenileg ope n-i ings through the lower end of the hipenveloping portiom z and the closed seamrin the bottom marginal edge ofthe,

strap portions. I References Cited the fileof this'iplatent fUN ITED-MSTATES PATENfrs 990.201

